CONCORD COMMUNITY OF ARTISTS

Meet the artist - Michelle Cicala

Michelle Cicala

This month we are featuring interviews with the artists who are in our upcoming art show - sight/unseen - at The Artist's Den in Concord, May 21-26, 2016.

What do you like most about living in Concord?

I love living in Concord! I moved here 3 years ago from South Florida, which was a great place while my husband and I went to school, but it was never our element. We love the Bay Area's beautiful weather, gorgeous hiking, camping, and all the other amazing things this area has to offer. Concord has a very down-to-earth vibe, with tons of great parks, a beautiful downtown, and wonderful people. I am so inspired by the artists I have met in Concord. They are passionate about their work and about growing our artist community. CCofA, CAA, and EBAG have all been so supportive of me getting my art out to the public, and help me feel like part of the growing and vibrant Concord art scene.

Lotus Tiger

What medium do you plan to use in your piece for this show?

I am using acrylic for this show, which is typical for me. However the subject of my piece is different than what I usually paint - I am doing a portrait. I love the feeling of doing something that is out of my comfort zone. I paint until I get to a place where I feel a little afraid to keep going, and then push through the fear to the other side, resulting in something I love. The experience of working through my fear and expectations is very therapeutic for me, and it's essentially why I paint.

Are there any exciting techniques or mediums you've learned about recently?

I usually work with smaller sized canvases, but I recently participated in a show with EBAG that required a much larger scale of work. I used a 30” x 24” canvas for the first time in a long time, and I had a blast! I really enjoyed painting on a big scale and love how the artwork came out. These larger pieces are currently on display in the Aspen Building at John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek. I stepped out of my comfort zone and it payed off, I won’t hesitate to go big in the future.

Lord Surya- Sun Lion

How long have you been creating art and who helped you get started?

I have always been an artist, although it has ebbed and flowed at times. My high school art teacher Mr. Smith was wonderful and very influential for me as a young artist. He created a supportive environment that nurtured his students' confidence and creativity. It was a classroom full of art, music, laughter, and no judgement, which I craved at the time. It was a truly special time and place that helped me survive my high school experience. Today I am inspired by my fellow artists - hearing about their process, experiences, and struggles helps me so much. There are times as an artist that I question myself - why am I doing this, what’s the point? My fellow artists help me gain perspective and remind me that I make art for the sake of art, and that these questions are part of this beautiful process.

What advice would you give to a new artist?

It would be to let go of judgement. There are times when I feel creative and inspired, and times when I just don’t. I have learned not to fret or put pressure on myself when I am in a creative lull. When I give myself permission to take a break and wait until I am feeling the creative flow again, I come out of it much quicker feeling refreshed and inspired.

See more of Michelle's work in her Etsy shop and her Society6 store.

Meet the Artist - Anamilena Ayala

Anamilena Ayala

This month we are featuring interviews with the artists who are in our upcoming art show - sight/unseen - at The Artist's Den in Concord, May 21-26, 2016.

What do you like most about living in Concord?

I originally arrived in Martinez when I first moved to the Bay Area fifteen years ago. I learned to enjoy and appreciate this area with its downtown close by, so when my husband and I were finally ready to purchase our first-ever home, we decided to move to Concord. We are now enjoying our 6th year here and we find everything we want in Concord, from markets to bike trails. Our only challenge is our daily commute to Oakland for work, but luckily we carpool together every day, which saves in gas, plus we can stay on the other side of the tunnel any time for dinner! Concord got to be even better when I found this group of artists on Meetup who wanted to get together for different projects throughout the year. After attending my first meeting, I became a regular participant and supporter of this group, the Concord Community of Artists.

Trio of small floral paintings in acrylic by Anamilena Ayala

What medium do you plan to use in your art for the sight/unseen show?

My piece will be an acrylic painting - at the beginning, I thought of trying something new with mixed media, but I decided I will stay with my acrylics - for sure they will not let me down! While the technique I am using is very familiar to me, the painting concept will be experimental. Creating this piece will definitely take me out of my comfort zone, but I feel very excited to try "identity" as an approach and to see the final result, which is always a surprise for the artist in me.

Lemon by Anamilena Ayala - acrylic

Are there any exciting techniques or mediums you've learned about recently?

I have been following and learning about collage from a couple of online videos I came across and I want to keep exploring this technique. In fact, I'm still trying to catch a workshop from an artist who makes great collage art that features random pieces of paper. I can only imagine my horizons expanding in front me with so many possibilities that collage has to offer.

How long have you been creating art?

I started making art at an early age in Colombia and learned from my mother’s incredibly crafty mind. She was my first mentor, then later when I came to America, I registered for some painting classes and was extremely lucky to find dedicated teachers who were very generous with their knowledge. I was happy to play “sponge” and absorbe as much as I could.

What is the best advice you've ever received as an artist?

The best advice I have taken from an art mentor is to “step back and squint” as often as possible when working on a painting.

What advice would you give to a new artist?

Never give up! Forget about whether or not it looks pretty or perfect, art is just art and always will be.

Visit Anamilena's website to see more of her work.

Our new art show - sight/unseen

Concord Community of Artists is thrilled to announce our new art show!

sight/unseen

May 21-26, 2016

The Artist's Den - 1913 Salvio Street, Concord

Click here to download our flyer with more information.

Each of our 14 participating artists was asked to interpret and express an aspect of their identity. Some are exploring this concept through their ancestry, others are creating work that speaks to their ethnicity, culture or nationality. Each piece will include a written narrative about their inspiration, artistic approach and what they discovered about themselves during the process.

Our individual identities are comprised of the qualities, beliefs and distinctive characteristics that make us unique and different from each other. Psychology professor Peter Weinreich defines identity as contextual:

How we understand and interpret ourselves today - in the present - expresses the continuity between where we came from (our past) and what we aspire to be (our future).

What a wonderfully reflective approach for artists and art students to consider when creating personal works of self-expression!

Concord Community of Artists develops mutually beneficial opportunities for artists to come together and work with local businesses and service organizations to celebrate the value and positive impact of the arts and how it strengthens the vitality of our entire community.

We are honored to present sight/unseen in partnership with The Artist's Den, which is operated by Futures Explored, a non-profit organization that provides work training and recreational programs for Bay Area adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The Artist's Den provides weekday art programs to their clients and operates an art gallery to exhibit and sell their work.

Visit the Concord Library this month!

Our "Small Works" will be on display right inside the front entrance to the Concord Library through April 29 - it features a variety of art, craft and writing from local artists. From acrylic and watercolor paintings to photography, drawings and more, you'll enjoy looking at each and every piece. Pricing and contact information is listed on the ID tags so you can make arrangements to bring one of these delightful small works home with you.

Artists:

Catherine Hensiek

Susan Pace-Koch
Sharon Petersen
Jonathan Wayne Rosas
Emily Stepp

"Small Works" display coming to the Concord Library

concord community of artists sharon petersen

Winter Silhouette by Sharon Petersen - 11"x14" watercolor

Visit the Concord Library to see a wonderful collection of small works from 15 members of the Concord Community of Artists in the main display case, April 2 - 28, 2016.

Many mediums will be represented - ink, oil, acrylic, watercolor, mixed media and photography - and select pieces are available for purchase directly from the artists.

Every day is a great day to visit the Concord Library - when you can't be there in person, find them on Facebook!

concord community of artists michelle cicala

Dreaming of Spring by Michelle Cicala - 8"x10" acrylic

Who is the artist?

As individuals, each person involved with the Concord Community of Artists works with their own artistic vision and voice, and with their own priority and purpose for their artmaking. Over the next few weeks, we'll meet some of these wonderful folks and get a peek into their lives as artists.

Meet Joani Share, who recently relocated and now makes Concord her new home.

"In April of this year, my husband Mark and I moved into our newly renovated home in Concord, California. Moving into a new house is always a big deal, and for us it was huge. After living for 44 years in Arizona (Phoenix/Scottsdale), we moved here to be close to our daughter, son-in-law and three adorable granddaughters (5, 3, and 7 months). We are both recently retired - Mark had been a Director of Educational Technology for a large school district, and I taught Visual Art (Art I – AP) in a public high school and dual enrollment through a community college.

I have always been an active artist, even during all of my teaching years. Moving to Concord meant reestablishing a studio and finding an art community. The remodel on our house included a large studio - which allows me to create art, and teach art to small groups. I was thrilled to find a community of artists in the Concord Community of Artists group and to begin making friends in my new home base.

Joani Share

As I have settled into my new space, I have continued creating art– primarily utilizing mixed media. I have long been interested in shape, form and color with abstract figures as my main imagery. I have recently begun to search for ways to show my work in the wide area known as the East Bay. I submitted images to the Public Art Program in Walnut Creek, and two of my works have been selected and installed in the Downtown Walnut Creek Utility Box Project (through Bedford Gallery). These pieces will be included in the City of Walnut Creek/Bedford Gallery website, and become part of the art on the walking tour.

As I work in my new studio in Concord, I am enjoying the process of creating in a new environment. Combined with the art that I brought from Arizona, I have a large body of artwork that needs to find homes. I am currently in the process of determining the best place and fit for me to sell my art – the gallery scene here is vast, much larger than the one I just left. My website has recently been updated to reflect my Concord address.

Having Concord as my new home base has allowed me to begin exploring the art venues of San Francisco. Now I am only a BART ride away from the art scene here instead of an airplane trip. I am excited to be part of this community - looking forward to creating new art, meeting more artists, volunteering and enjoying all that is available in the rolling hills of the East Bay/SF area."

Who is the artist?

Meet Susan Pace-Koch, author and publisher of children's picture books.

Susan Pace-Koch

"The wheels are always turning at Get Out Books. We just completed the illustration and design for
The Four Bears, printing in 2016. A terrifically fun Black Bear Coloring Book is also in the works, with illustrations by Jack Wiens. This will be a companion to The Four Bears for bear and fun-lovers.

We have been working on handmade mermaid dolls, replicating the characters in The Mermaid and the Moon, illustrated by Concord artist, Tracie Timmer. A huge thank you to artist Lois Willhite for collaboration on their design and implementation!

Magic wands and 'mermaid kisses' are now in our inventory for holiday shows, plus we will be starting to work with 'storybook spoons' with the fantastic artist Emily Stepp lending her skills, taking a brief break from her more serious art.

An audio version of our most recent book, The Mermaid and the Moon, has just been completed and is available on iTunes, Audible and Amazon.

A Pie for a Pig, with a cast of colorful Pig characters, has been created as a downloadable education app. The Pigs are now animated and available for Chinese learners, too. All twelve of the Pig characters have been recreated in felt by fiber artist Merry Manias for traveling art shows."

Look for all this and more from Susan in 2016!

Who is the artist?

Meet Denise Hillman; her work is included in the Martinez Art Gallery.

Denise Hillman in Burano, Italy

"Growing up, I was the kid who would sit and draw for hours and hours. I always wanted to be an artist but went down a 'safer' business path after college. I earned B.A. degrees in Expressive Arts and Advertising, and worked as a marketing manager for a variety of big firms. I’m now a principal of Snap Communications and work as a marketing consultant along with my art pursuits.

I’ve always loved stained glass and about 7 years ago I walked into the Stained Glass Garden in Berkeley and said 'someday I’m going to learn how to do this!' That finally happened a couple of years ago when I took two 5-week class series and set up my own studio at home.

I love the craft of creating glass art: the tools, the materials, the colors and textures. It’s been a perfect medium for me because it takes drawing skills to create my own patterns, and I’ve also used my photography as the basis for some panels. Last summer I traveled to Italy and was inspired by the colorful buildings on the islands off Venice. This led me to create two panels from photographs taken in Burano.

Burano Sunset 9.5" X 14.5" stained glass

I was juried into the Martinez Art Gallery in July 2015. It’s a co-op and I enjoy the stimulation of being around the other 19 artists in the gallery. I have several pieces on display in the current show, Abstraction & Expressionism. Also, I just finished a few pieces for a special Dia de los Muertos mini-show at the gallery. Next I’m working on some panels for the gallery show that opens in November with the theme of Celebrate Martinez. They will likely involve the waterfront, trains or both. I’m also working on smaller gift items for the holidays, like colorful fish sun catchers.

In terms of subject matter, I get bored easily and tend to do very different things with each piece. I love connecting with other artists and collaborating when possible. Recently I met metal artist Cyndy Wight and she gave me some of her cut outs which I’m incorporating into glass pieces. I’ve also done a few pieces with agate slices. Examples of my work are at dhartglass.weebly.com.

I belong to a couple of glass art groups on Facebook, one of which is called Stained Glass Addicts, which sounds funny, but it’s truly an addiction."

Who is the artist?

Meet Kim Lawson, who recently organized a community event using arts and crafts to bring her neighborhood together.

Kim Lawson

“I have a BA degree in English from UC Santa Barbara. Not particularly useful in the art world, but I love words and am skillful in finding ways to manipulate them in work and art projects. As an early retiree, I find that I have a lot of time on my hands and thus, started playing with art projects in my home studio - things that I had always wanted to work on because deep down I knew I loved the exploration and creativity of the soul.

I love all kinds of artwork and my studio is filled with beads, papers, yarn, wire, bottles, paint - you name it! I find odd things to collect sometimes on the street, junk mail, discarded toys, sale bins, and my "happy hour" beverages. My family secretly thinks I have a hoarding disease. Is it wrong to see potential in everything?

I can't seem to settle on one kind of project type. As a self-taught artist, I have found great joy in watercolor, photography, drawing, and art journaling. Bold colors, unusual viewpoints, and nature catch my attention and I work to produce pieces that I see in my mind's eye.

Colorful Corners - watercolor affixed to canvas

My career background focused on project and event management. I recently organized a local art and craft fair in Concord that included over 40 artists. I will be teaching a craft class and an art journaling class beginning in January for the Concord Park and Recreation department. I have taught classes at Concord's Hobby Lobby store, I have an Etsy site - besameart.etsy.com, I'm featured at local craft fairs, and regularly organize "Girls' Night Art" events for friends wanting to learn fun projects. I've heard people say, 'I can't make that. I'm not artsy.' I believe everyone has a creative spirit within and it's just a matter of finding the spark and igniting it. It's amazing to watch that spirit come alive! I encourage myself and others by saying mistakes are not part of our vocabulary, but rather opportunities to create something new and better.

Rosalynn Carter once said, 'You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through.' That said, I soldier on!”
—Kim Lawson

Community Engagement - The Arts Build Community

Emily Stepp (left) and Lynne Noone

Making art is not the only priority for our artists. In fact, one of the main tenets of the Concord Community of Artists is to engage with our community organizations in ways that enliven civic programs and enhance the vitality within our city and among our residents and visitors.

"Libraries have become so much more than books. People still come to the library to get books, but once they get here, they realize how much is going on. Working with the Concord Community of Artists is a great example of community in action. When I asked the group if someone was interested in creating a "NEW BOOKS" sign for the Concord Library, artist Emily Stepp generously donated her time and talent to this project and the result was spectacular! Working together, we spark imagination, fuel potential, and connect people with ideas and each other." - Lynne Noone, Adult Services Librarian